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County Sheriff sets up substation in Columbus

Law and order

By Matt Robinson, Headlight Staff

Posted:
05/07/2013 04:31:36 PM MDT

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From left, Luna County Commissioner Joe Oleo Milo, Jr., village of Columbus Mayor Nicole Lawson and Sheriff Raymond Cobos prepare to cut the ribbon police tape, rather at the new Luna County Sheriff s Office Columbus Substation.

Luna County's Sheriff's Office will now have an expanded presence in the village of Columbus thanks to help from the public and private sectors and a minimal investment by the county.

On Tuesday, LCSO authorities were joined by officials from the county, U.S. Border Patrol, Rep. Steve Pearce's office, the state and the village to formally open the LCSO's new Columbus Substation, which provides a permanent base of operations for deputies in the area.

"This office will be open for you," Sheriff Raymond Cobos told the crowd. "If any of your people come down to process an incident, this office will be open for you."

The Substation is located adjacent to the village City Hall on Broadway. It is housed in a build formerly used by 1st New Mexico Bank in Columbus. The bank donated the building to the village, which turned around and moved it over to the county.

Billy Ruiz, director of the county's Facilities and Special Projects department, said the work to renovate the 1,200 square foot building was completed by county maintenance crews, who are also certified contractors in the state. He and Sheriff Cobos said the county allocated about $10,000 to paint, install air conditioning and heat, build partitions and install new flooring.

"The remodeling and the appearance of this facility is attributable to our county work crew," Sheriff Cobos said. "This is a culmination of everyone's efforts."

It is also the continuation of years of law enforcement agencies increasing their presence along the border.

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For Undersheriff Arturo Baeza, who patrolled the village between 1975 and 1981 after completing law enforcement academy training, the facility is a sign of the times and a positive step forward for security in the area.

"Now it's better because they have a lot more (Border Patrol) agents, state police, but back then, you were more on your own," he said. "Now we're more available to the public. People can come in here if they have any questions or complaints."

James Efferson, a former treasurer for the village, said locals are "so happy" to have the facility open.

"It's always good to have a law enforcement presence in Columbus, especially with Columbus being Columbus; our history," he said. "I'm very proud of the fact that we have the sheriff's department here."

The LCSO has always had a presence around the village, but since the village's police force was disbanded in 2011 due to financial woes, the county has taken over policing. In April, the relationship was reinforced with an agreement between the county and village that stipulated terms with which both entities will need to comply to continue enforcing law in the area.

The terms stipulate the LCSO provide a minimum of 5.7 hours of coverage within the village per day, or 40 hours over a seven-day period. It also compels the village to commission deputies to enforce village ordinances.

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